Working in Taiwan - My First Job in TW

After getting married to Taiwan and settled down, looking into future career would seem to be the next step.

There are numerous websites for job seeking, like 104.com.tw etc. With English as my only advantage here, I took it to the max in exploring career options. It seems that companies (small or medium) often have vacancies. It could be due to the turnover rate or people leaving for better opportunities in Taipei or even China, who knows.

Looking for a job here in Taiwan, especially when you are not living in or near Taipei could be tricky, not in terms of getting the job, that is the simple part, it is adapting and accepting the Taiwanese working culture that is tricky and difficult at some times.

Introduction to my first job

My first job was working as an English secretary for a medium sized, Taiwanese owned private company. It was a good introduction to the local work culture and practice. Don't be fooled by the job title, it was not a secretarial job, nothing close to it. After accepting the job offer, with a salary I find to be lower than what I expected (okay, I accepted the job because I was totally new to Subrogation or Maritime Law, I will explain later), I find that I actually do more than I was expecting to do. 

To begin with, it appears that I was not working for the company which the office sign states to be. There was a smaller company formed to cover the main company's subrogation portion and a law firm which covers Maritime law. Confusing? I was lost the first month I was there. I was actually working for three (3) companies, sometimes four (4), including some assignment task from the main company. The three companies that I mainly work for, one is a subrogation company, one is a local law firm, handling maritime cases, and another is a law firm registered overseas. (Wow! That's a mouth full, glad that is done.)

Employee benefits

Since it is my first job, it is also the first time I have to learn about National Health Insurance, Labour Insurance, Income Tax as a Foreigner, Local Labour Law and Bank Accounts.

National Health Insurance and Labour Insurance

From what I understand so far, the National Health Insurance and Labour Insurance is paid partially by your employer and partially will be deducted from your monthly salary. It is advised that employees are to monitor closely on the amount deducted every month by your employer and also to cross check using your Postal Bank Account (yes, Taiwan postal is also a bank). It is important to ensure that these payments are made accordingly, else you would have to pay for health insurance on your own. It is "rumoured" that employers (especially small and medium companies) will report  to the relevant department that you are receiving minimal wage (revised annually by the government), so that they would only pay the minimal amount for your insurance. Some employees prefer that, as that also means a minimal deduction in your monthly salary. However (yes, of course there is a bad side to this), when it come to make a claim to the insurance company, the employee would only receive the minimal as well. For example, pregnant employees will have maternity leave for 3 months, and for this three month, the insurance pay you a compensation for your leaves. Since a minimal salary was reported, a minimal compensation will be received.

Income Tax as a Foreigner

It should not be a shocker to pay income tax, this is practised globally. Well, income tax as a foreigner is slightly different. "Foreigners working with an ARC in Taiwan will have their wages taxed at a rate of 18% until they have stayed more than 183 days during a tax year. After 183 days, the government reduces your rate from 18% back to 5%. As for the 183 days that you paid 18%, which is 13% more than the normal rate, you will get this difference back when you file your taxes. Please note that the 183 days being from January 1 of each year."

So as you can see, for foreigner, it depends on how long have you resided in the country to indicate the tax rate of you income. So, do make an effort to stay in the country for more than 183 days a year if you are working.

Local Labour Law

The labour law, how can I put this in a good way? Most small and medium companies follows the laobour law strictly, you may think that it is something to celebrate for. But sadly no, as Taiwan Labour law, to my humble opinion, does not protects employees much. For instance, during the first year on the job, you are not entitled to any annual leaves. Only after the first year, you are entitled for 7 days of annual leaves. 

Pregnant employee are eligible for three months maternity. It was "rumoured" that there are employers who would let go of employees who are pregnant, as after the three month maternity leave, employees could apply for another 6 months of no salary leave to take care of your child.

These are some of the legal law of the country. It is common that companies or even government departments would require you to sign an employment "contract" with regulations that are just absurd. For example, 

(1) If you are one minute late from work, it would be recorded, and if you are late for 3 days for the month, you are requested to come back to work on a Saturday. If you do not comply, one day salary would be deducted. (There was even one from another company that states if you are late for one minute to work, it would be considered that you took the day off, you might as well go home.)

(2) You are not allowed to leave the company within one year, as it costs the company money to train you. (There are no training provided, they will throw you in deep sea and you better start swimming.)

(3) Overtime could only be claimed after 6pm. For every full half an hour, you are entitled to NTD40. No excuse to one minute less, or even if you are called back during the weekend to work. (Oh, they do not inform you that you need to fill in a form for this, else, too bad, no overtime payment.)

(4) You have to do cleaning as arranged in the duty roaster everyday, including sweeping, wiping, vacuuming. (Just like in school.)

(5) If you did anything wrong in your work, you are required to filled up a correction form which clearly states what you did wrong, how you should do it better and how you plan to improve it. This will be put up on a notice board for all to see.

Doesn't working in Taiwan sounds awesome? 

Bank Accounts

Banks have an image of being safe and secure, it is a place where you can trust to put your money in. Since I am working, I would need to have an account for my salary, so the usual, I went to the bank to open my bank account. Here, they do not recognize "signature", usually when you see "signature" here, it literally means, "Please WRITE your mandarin name clearly so that I can read." Not just that, they would require that you get a traditional square stamp of your mandarin name, as this is actually another important identification tool. Well, I personally don't mind the protocol in getting an account opened. But what was surprising is that, someone else with my account passbook, my ID and my stamp is actually allowed to withdraw money from my account. (Note to self, do not keep three items together.)

My Experience

Well, as for my first job, I won't say it exceed my expectation in a good way, but it seriously was an eye opener on the working environment and culture here. It was a stressful and tough job with a boss who is a business person, and no where near a human person. In her view, she paid you your salary, so you are to work as she told and instructed, getting to most out of you with minimal salary.

Besides the horrible boss encounter, colleagues were friendly and helpful, especially when you are a foreigner in a new country, you would depend on that. It was a tiring and demanding job, but I did learnt a lot and gained a whole new perspective of a new field (or, fields, since I do work for several companies).

I left the company as I do not think I could see myself in there for a long time, with lack of growth, acknowledgement and professionalism respect. You would have to let go and move on. 

So I did, with no regrets.

Life as a Foreigner in Disguise

I am in a a country where I am a foreigner, but I don't look like one.

Living in Taiwan is nice, it takes time to adapt, different variety of food, the language, the culture and the people.

Food

Food wise, it is not very hard to adapt to Taiwanese food, just that coming from a country rich with different cultures and vast selection of cuisines, it would be hard not to miss home. Your taste buds will start to feel so bland that somehow you are not interested with the local food no more. So to resolve this we have to start cooking.

Cooking for two is never easy, it is hard to get the right portion of ingredients and you will tend to over cook for two. Not just the portion, there are still ingredients that you would not be able to find in the market or supermarket. For example, it is difficult to find a whole garlic at the market, they usually sell them after they are pealed. Nevertheless, you may try looking harder into different supermarket for the ingredients you want, they may be slightly overpriced.

I remember that last summer, I was craving for chocolate ice cream, so much so that I went to all ice cream shops to get them, but non of them were similar to Baskin Robins or Ben & Jerry's. The painful part of this is, living through the unfulfilled craving.

Language

I won't say I have serious difficulties in the language, as I know the language, Mandarin. However, Mandarin was not my mother tongue, it is English, or Malaysian language (meaning a mixture of all languages). So there are moments that I have the word in English or Malay or Cantonese, but just somehow can't get the Mandarin word of it. Besides that, there are terms used in Taiwanese that were different from the ones used in Malaysia, for example, the straw(水草->吸管) and plaster (膠布->ok棒). There are moments that I can't understand Taiwanese's accent, especially when they Taiwan-lise English words. You would think that it is another term that you didn't know, but it is actually an English word pronounced with a Taiwanese accent. It is rude to correct them, so you would have to bear with it and just used to it.

Another language is Taiwanese (台語). I am not a Hokkien, hence I can't make up one word of Taiwanese. It is said that Hokkien and Taiwanese share some similarities. My grandmother in law only speaks Taiwanese, so there are times that we can't really communicate as there is this language barrier.

Culture

There are cultures in Taiwan that I love. The people here are more responsible in keeping their surrounding clean, and are more polite to a certain sense. They are proud of their nationality, I mean very proud, as they dislike it when I say I am Malaysian, as to them, I am married to a Taiwanese, hence I have to be Taiwanese. Sorry to disappoint you, but does not necessary work that way.

In terms of traditional culture, there are similarities and difference between Malaysian Chinese and Taiwanese Chinese. For example, lanterns are for the Mid-Autumn festival in Malaysia but in Taiwan, it is for the 15th Day of Chinese New Year.

People

The people here felt more down to earth and have less stress in their life. They appreciate knowledge and art, as there are bookstores everywhere and art galleries are always packed. I especially loved how they hope to preserve the Hakka culture by setting up museums and parks explaining the Hakka culture.


I think I can live here for some time. Till we found another place to settle down, Taiwan will do for now.

Serving the Notice

It's has been a long two months, one more month to go.

Yes, I am serving a three month notice with my current employer after resigning, and these two months were the slowest and longest two months ever. Why? Because everyday I have to come into office, looking at my boss' annoying face, (annoying is not even close to describe that face) and hoping that it will be 5.30pm soon. Ever since I had resigned, my boss had been horrible. He started to show his true colour which not anywhere near beautiful. He had been harassing me on work, giving me unnecessary stress, threathening me, and most important of all, demotivating me. I had not been working for a long time, but he is indeed someone I truly hope that I will not meet any other in my life, especially as my superior. He was seriously a big pain in the ass.

Well, enough with the angry news, during my notice period, I got to know more about my colleagues, weird right? You only start to get close with your colleagues when you are leaving.

And yes, we are moving in the next month, meaning I will be serving my last month's notice in the new building, which is pretty good as I will have a brand new cubical and environment. Just too bad that it does not mean I will have a new boss. Hmm...

Oh ya, just got to know that there will be two bosses leaving the organisation, I have to be honest here, I don't have any emotions inside, but looking at other colleagues tearing when they heard the news just makes me wonder, am I a cold-blooded b*tch? Gosh.. I am sorry that they are leaving, but I seriously don't share the same feelings. All the feeling that I have inside is, I am happy for them, new chapter in life is really something exciting.

So, one more month to go..

A Big Decision to Make

Had been working for CIMB Bank for like three years plus now, almost four. I had been going through whether to stay or leave the organisation as I did not LOVE my job so so much. I hanged on as the people here are nice and knowledgeable and most importantly, they are willing to teach and help you along the way, making sure that you know that you are not alone in this.

But then, the department went through a restructuring, and I volunteered to be placed in another team, thinking that it would be nice to have a different exposure. Well, I was not wrong, I indeed had my different exposure, along with it came different colleagues with different personality, not to mention different boss. All in all, I did not really like the new exposure as much. So, I think it would be a great time to make some important decisions.

To top that up, my dad wanted me to go back to help him out at work. He had been asking for quite some time now, so I figured, now may be a good time to decide to go back to help out whatever I could, before I actually get married. This way, I get to spend more time with my parents and I get to help them out.

After this decision is made, there will be a lot of changes to come. One thing for sure is that, I won't be able to attend my club's meeting as often, or better worded, ever, since it's on a weekday. But I sure hope to stay on and help out at projects during the weekends.

So... It's time for the decision to be made..

Informing The Parents

I was proposed to by my boy friend when I was visiting him early August, where he proposed to me at a casual lunch out with friends. I was a great surprised, and was touched as he did so much preparation for my birthday video and organizing everything to ensure it was a huge surprise.

So after the proposal, when I got home, (finally had wifi) my phone was blasting with congratulatory notes from friends and family. My mum had the most epic message for me, "Why didn't you inform me of thing?" I was like, I was surprised myself? My sister on the other hand, was thrilled, as this is her bright and honorary moment to become the bride's maid. I know my parents were just concern as they don't really know my fiance that well. But, I really do not know how to answer that very simple question.

The moment of truth, heading back home to face my parents. Well, to be frank, it was not that bad, especially my dad. He said he will not object, just that he would like to know more about things, things about Ice and his family, his career, his future plans, more like getting to know him. As for my mum, she is still mad about her not being the first on earth to know. (Gosh..!) But she is still all good with it. ^^

So, let's see how the planning of the wedding will go then. Looking through processes and documentations for ROM (not a simple task) and making sure the facts we gathered are accurate.

Still a long way to go, but I am glad I have you with me all the way. ^^

The Proposal

It was a trip to Kaohsiung over Hari Raya, where we will have a long weekend of 4 days. 

At my arrival, after going through immigration and luggage pick up, Ice is still no where to be found. He was late from work. So I waited at the waiting area.

Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder.. Ice.. carrying a huge bag with a plastic bag sticking out. So the normal reaction would be, what do you have there? Then he started complaining why did I spoil the surprise? Err.. It's obvious..!!

He got me flowers, very sweet of him. ^^

And that's why he was late.

On Saturday, Ice informed me that we will be having lunch with some friends. I was like ok. Then all of a sudden, Ice said he want to bring out his PC to play a video, it was a video he compiled for my birthday with all the wishes he collected from friends. ^^

Then he continued the video with some pictures of both of us. After the video is completed, his friend started to record, asking him to share his feelings. Ice shared that he is happy and thankful that I am with him in a long distance relationship. He kneel down, with a box in his hand, and a bouquet of flowers came from behind. He proposed to me. I did not expected this, I was stunned. I said yes, of course. ^^

So, besides the proposal, we celebrated my birthday as well. For the first time, I have candles which states your age clearly.

Thank you darling for everything, for arranging everything and planning everything.

We went to the bookstore on the day before I depart back to Malaysia, and we saw this comic which is s cute and adorable. It's a comic about this guy going through planning the proposal, preparation for the wedding, and also things to take care for during the wedding ceremony. And of course, the honeymoon. It is an enjoyable comic and informative too. 

Love you darling. Will always love you.

The Year 2013

Finally I have the time to write, slightly have the time I would say.

The year 2013, an exciting year for me. As after 2013 end, there might just be a huge change awaiting me in 2014.

Back to 2013, a year fully planned. Some things I would like to achieve this year, and praying hard for all the blessings to make it work out.

1. Complete my FRM Part I and II
2. Apply for Korea University PhD and hopefully gets it
3. Travel to Japan, Bali, Taiwan
4. Give more to Rotaract, to the community
5. Continue on running, hopefully attend an international run
6. Perform in my work
7. Change in environment, lifestyle towards the end of the year

And to start 2014, hopefully I could spend one month traveling around New Zealand, before heading to Korea. (*fingers crossed*)

So, it's nothing too fancy, just some things I would really like to achieve in my life, and this seems to be the stage to make them happen. ^^

New Members to the Apple Family

Trying to recall, the very first apple product that I had. I can't really remember whether was it the iPod Touch or the MacBook, but I am certain that it was bought during my degree final year, which is like 2009.

Well, regardless, the members of the Apple family just grew by more, in fact, two more.

1) iPad

I had been struggling on whether should I get it, I mean, it's not cheap and I was trying to reason things out with myself on why do I not need it. It all started when the New iPad was launched, and people around me are having this thing going on where it seem to be a contagious virus. So throughout the year I held my horses by saying that I am using an iPhone and I can perform most of the task through my phone, right? This was all changed after my trip to Tasmania.

This friend of mine, Ian, who had been using his iPad for like ever. Throughout the trip, he brought his iPad along and showed me how convenient is it. So, this is where is all started, it hooked. So once I got back to Malaysia, and this colleague of mine, Jun, who told me take she got her very own iPad, I am like hell, let's get an iPad.

So there comes the new member of the Apple family. But, hey, there's more.

2) iPhone 5

So, as I did mention, I am an iPhone user. To back track, my very first iPhone was a 3GS, a nice white one with those curvy edge. Then it was the iPhone 4S, which was with me for 1 year.

So here come the whole story. It was my convocation for my master, and I shared this joy which both of my loving parents. As usual, graduates will all be happy, with their bouquet of flowers, walking around catching up with friend and taking photos. There was too much stuff in my hands, hence I asked my dad to help me out for a bit with some of the stuff. And this is when it all happens. My beloved iPhone 4S fell, real hard on the concrete tar road and landed on the steal cap of the drain, thank god it did not fell through. As I picked my phone up, there was no crack on the screen, however there was a dent on the edges. This was not the worst thing. My phone seemed to be dead. OMG.. No matter which button I was to press, the phone just refuse to react, the screen was not lite up. Instantly, my heart cracked. Of course, later on the phone did went back online after the forced reboot.

So how did the iPhone 5 come about? After that incident, my dad made this promise that he will get me a new phone to replace this one, so tadaa~~ I have my iPhone 5 now.

I am happy with the two Apple products that I am using on a daily basis. Hoping in future, Apple will come out with more innovative and creative products as this Apple fan will always be there to support them.

A Note to the Heart

A note, from a time long ago..

我们的开始叫人意外

从未想过你对我有爱

你的坦白令我开怀

但她却早已存在

想要毫无保留的去爱

但却不能无情的离开

内疚对你的伤害

想要公平的对待

所以选择放开 

你我无法释怀这份爱

心里还有你

但却不能告诉你

心里还爱你

却没资格留住你

想再次用力地爱

属于我的心早已不在

只希望你不再受伤害

等到属于你的爱

"完美的时机让爱凝聚，错误的决定让爱散去"

An Annual Review of 2012

Wow..! Look how time flies. It's already the last week of November and December is coming soon.If the Mayans are correct, the end of the world is coming in less than a month's time. Gosh..~

Was reading back on my post which I wrote in the beginning of the year. Some goals I had there. Hahahaha..

To make a quick review or a summary of things I would like to remember on what I did this year.

Let's start with something which I love the very most, traveling.
1. Traveled to Bangkok, again, three years in a row now, for APRRC Bangkok 2012.
2. Traveled to Melbourne and Tasmania, and gosh.. I really loved the place. This was an awesome trip and the hike in the snow made it simply memorable.
3. Traveled to Hong Kong and Macau, I would say I was a good catch up session there, meeting friends from Hong Kong and Macau.
4. Trip to Cameron and staying at Hard Rock Penang. AWESOME...!!

Besides traveling, I was visited by friends too. And also going to be visited by friends.
5. RAC Manila visiting Malaysia, how much I miss Candy and Jarl.
6. Friend from Taiwan visiting Malaysia during New Year's Eve. Yay..~ (Ok, I do see a trend here where I always have foreign friends visiting the country over New Year's eve.)

What else had I done? There are some random things which was done.
7. Big Trill and Extreme Skytrex are completed, for the record. Yes!
8. Marathon. So far I had completed Standard Charted Run, BSN Night Run, and Terry Fox Run each 5km. And I will be going for HSBC Charity Run too. Not too bad. Hmm...
9. Singing live on stage. This one is definitely something to remember, singing Thousand Year with Aaron live on stage during my club's installation, man.. it was a fantastic feeling..!
10. Zookeeper. Yea.. Something which I don't think I would ever forget.
11. Rotaract projects.There are tonnes of them, from StART concerts to Royal Selangor visits, Medical Camps, I Choose to Reuse, Random Act of Kindness, Rotary Wish Tree. Wow.. Just let the list grow.
12. Picking up badminton. I don't really know the sport, but at least I had got the chance to play and improve on it.
13. Stand Up Comedy. It was so much fun listening to Harith Iskandar and Douglas Lim. I remembered watching Iskandar in one of the Rotary events way way back.
14. Watched Russell Peter in Bangkok. This guy is just hilarious. There is not one moment that you are not laughing when he is on stage.
15. Did a presentation on Traveling Tips. My favorite topic, it was impromptu and it was so much fun sharing the things I know and the one thing I love doing.
16. Learn to play a guitar. Yup, and I am still learning. I know, noob, but hey, at least I'm trying right?
17. Making new friends. This is definitely something to look forward for, friends.
18. Got my very own iPad.. Woohoo..~~

And of course some expected events.
19. Graduating for my masters.
20. Being the Secretary of my club and also the IS Director for the District. (That's a mouth full)
21. Committee of my company's teambuilding, again. (I can start complaining?)

And also some events which I thought would happen but no.
22. Did not manage to get my own place
23. Did not manage to go to Camp 5 for wall climbing, ish...~

Hmm.. Can't recall anymore events that I would like to remember, but then I am sure there's definitely more. Seems to be a great year, might not be perfect but it was great.

Looking forward for December, another busy month before the year ends. Registering for FRM, going for the last marathon of the year, attending weddings and also hosting my Taiwanese friends. I would not had imagined a better way to end the year.

I guess I am ready for 2013, hope things will work out as planned. (*fingers crossed*)

Funny How Things Work Out

It's funny how life turns out, one event after another.

With all the ups and downs in life, look at who you are today.

There may be different people around you,
someone who helped you,
someone who hurt you,
someone who cheered you up,
someone who dissappointed you,
someone who understands you,
someone who judged you,
at different parts of your life.

But knowing that these different people will be there for you at any part of your life, bringing you warmth from different aspect, in different forms makes you realise, hey, my life wasn't that bad after all.

Looking back at yourself, seeing how these different people have an impact on your current personality and your interest, how they helped you form the person you are today, it only makes the heart feel thankful and brings a smile on your face. Yes, the process may had been as painful as hell, and it may still hurt, but the result is always worth wild.

So let's look forward for tomorrow, and be prepared for what it brings. As long as you know that you are always ready for it, be it good or bad, I'm ready..

Put Down the Glass

A Professor began his class by holding up
a glass with some water in it.
He held it up for all to see & asked the students
“How much do you think this glass weighs?”
'50g!' ....
'100g!' ..... '125g'
..the students answered.
“I really don't know unless I weigh it,”
said the professor,
“but, my question is:
What would happen if I held it up like this
for a few minutes?”
'Nothing' …..the students said.
'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.
'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the student.
“You're right, now what would happen
if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress and paralysis and
have to go to hospital for sure!”
… ventured another student
& all the students laughed …
“Very good, But during all this,
did the weight of the glass change?”
asked the professor.
‘No’…. Was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache and
the muscle stress?”
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?”
asked professor again.
‘Put the glass down!’ said one of the students.
“Exactly!” said the professor.
 
Life's problems are something like this.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head and
they seem OK.
Think of them for a long time and
they begin to ache.
Hold it even longer and
they begin to paralyze you.
You will not be able to do anything.
It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life,
but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to
‘PUT THEM DOWN’
at the end of every day before
You go to sleep.
That way, you are not stressed,
you wake up every day fresh and
strong and can handle any issue,
any challenge that comes your way!

I want to put down my glass, the problem is how?

The Dragon Year of 2012

Had a great kick start of 2012.

*flashback*

31 December 2011, Tim came visiting me here in Kuala Lumpur, and it's new year's eve, what else can we do? Countdown..! Whee~~ Brought Tim all around Kuala Lumpur, the typical KLCC and KL Tower, and we walked around Petaling Street and Central Market, a place where you'll experience the vibes of life in KL.

Our countdown, hmm.. The tricky part.. We planned to have our countdown in Pavillion or Sungai Wang, the Golden Triangle. The place was packed with so many people that you could barely even move..!! (Thank god that we can still breathe) Everything is everywhere.. Local and foreign artists having their mini concerts in Sg Wang and the DJ was blasting at Pavillion. Seriously the place to be for countdowns.. Yet, Tim was feeling under the weather, hence we headed back to his hotel, Reggae Mansion.

Ok, I'm not trying to overrate this place, but this is seriously a place to stay if you are ever in KL and you would like to go on backpacking. It's simply a cozy place, worth every penny you paid, and it doesn't cost much. To be honest, when Tim told me that he will be staying at some backpacker place near Masjid Jamek, I was like gosh~ But this place is way out of my expectation. Recommended..!!

So now back to our countdown.. We headed back to Reggae Mansion and sat at the lobby. It was around 11-ish, was really worried about Tim as he was really feeling unwell. But lucky after resting at the lobby, Tim starts to feel better. Another point to add, this hotel has their own bar on the roof top which is only opened for inhouse guests ( +1 mark) and the hotel is located in between Dataran Merdeka and the Golden Triangle (+1 mark). Ya~ My point is that even though there was no crowd and no DJ blasting, we still get to enjoy the fireworks when the clock strikes 12. Happy New Year~!!

2012
A new chapter of my life. There are so many things I wish will come to an end along with 2011, and there are much more things to accomplish this year.

To start with, I had finished my finals for my masters, and pray to God I will be truly done with it (*fingers crossed*). The moment I stepped out of the examination hall on the 10 January 2012 at 12.08pm, a felt relieved, a happier person. I'm free...!! So now I will be a 'full time white collar' instead of a 'full time white collar cum. part time master student'. That I would say deserves an applause. *clap clap clap* ^^

Moving on, there are a lot of unhappy things, saddening events and disappointments which I will be leaving them to end along with 2011. I need to start fresh, start living my life as I should had, with a smile on my face everyday, not because I have to, but because I felt like it. We only live once, so make every moment count.

So, my new year's resolution. Hmm.. Had put a lot of thoughts in it.. So here goes
1) Graduate from my master
2) Travel more (who doesn't want to right? ^^)
3) Spend more time with my family and friends, making it up to all the time which was lost during last few years and of course my darling snowball
4) Fall in love again, with someone who worth every bit of it
5) Rotaract love~ "Reach Within to Embrace Humanity" --> "Peace Through Service"
6) Perform in my job
7) Finish reading my pile of books while it grows
8) Start to love my life, love every little tiny detail of it
9) To own a smile which comes from the heart

There, I think the list will grow as time passes~ Let it be, as long as it's getting better.. ^^

Here we go, 2012..~~

再别康桥 by 徐志摩

轻轻的我走了，
    正如我轻轻的来；
我轻轻的招手，
    作别西天的云彩。

那河畔的金柳， 
    是夕阳中的新娘； 
波光里的艳影，
    在我的心头荡漾。 

软泥上的青荇， 
    油油的在水底招摇； 
在康河的柔波里， 
    我甘心做一条水草！ 
 
那榆荫下的一潭，
    不是清泉,是天上虹,
揉碎在浮藻间，
    沉淀着彩虹似的梦。 

寻梦？撑一支长蒿，
    向青草更青处漫溯， 
满载一船星辉， 
    在星辉斑斓里放歌。 

但我不能放歌， 
    悄悄是别离的笙箫；
夏虫也为我沉默，
    沉默是今晚的康桥！ 

悄悄的我走了，
    正如我悄悄的来；
我挥一挥衣袖，
    不带走一片云彩。

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation.

Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out.

And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Happy Birthday to Me~~

Oh My Gosh.. I'm getting old...!!

Had a great day on my birthday. Greetings and wishes from friends all around the world. Muakx.. Love you guys so much.. Thank you for all the phone calls, texts, wishes and birthday songs...~~

Went out for lunch with colleagues, went to Chili's with the guys, and went for Karaoke session with the girls.


Thank you all for your wishes, you all made my day so much more memorable~~

"One Day"

I just finish reading this obsessive book, "One Day" by David Nicholls. I could barely put my hands off it till I had finished it.

I enjoyed reading every bit of this book, loved the storyline and the way the author brings the characters into life. After reading, it makes you feel like as if you knew Emma and Dexter so well, since so long ago.

It is a touching story about two people, their journey over twenty years, sometimes they are together and sometimes they are not. The started on how they met, and how life changed them, the key people they met in parts of their life. The story itself is so real, so close to life.

A moving story about friendship, love, family, career, society with the ups and downs of life.

Do cherish the ones you love, sometimes, try not to look to far, as you will never know, that the love of your life is just right in front of you.

你的故事

你寫的故事
不一定會有人看
但是我依然會每天
無時無刻地留意著

看看今天的你心情如何
是否有把心情寫下
做你最忠實的讀者

我要的生活很簡單

你是否有嚐試過
把忙碌的步伐放慢了
才感覺到空虛
才感覺到寂寞
才感覺到悲

原來一直以來
我把生活填得滿滿
是為了讓自己忘記
我身邊是空空的
我無目的生活著

我好想脫離這樣的生活
所以選擇了旅行
在新的環境
陌生的地方
他人對你毫無期待
不用擔心令別人失望
擁有真正屬於自己的生活

好喜歡無憂無慮地
隨心隨意地旅程
好喜歡早上睡醒
看著藍藍的天
心裡在想今天會是個好天
笑容因此由心中笑出
這畫面太美好太幸福了

我要的生活好簡單
但是不容易實現

The Story of a Donkey

A friend shared a story with me, inspiring in different ways.

A washer man had 10 donkeys he used to take to the river with him to haul clothes on. While he was working or sleeping, he would tie them up so they wouldn't stray off. One day when he went to tie them up, he found he only had 9 ropes. He tied 9 donkeys and was holding the 10th by the ear wondering what he should do. A saint was passing by and asked him what he was doing. The washer man explained his dilemma and asked him for advice. The saint told him he only had to pretend he had a rope in his hands and perform the motions of tying the donkey up and that he would stay. So the washer man followed his advice and to his surprise, the donkey stayed all night while the washer man slept. In the morning when he was ready to leave the river, the washer man untied the donkeys and began his journey home. But the one donkey who had not really been tied refused to move.

The washer man was puzzled by this and was tugging on the donkeys ear to move him along. The donkey that had been tied with only an imaginary rope would not move. The saint reappeared again and the washer man sought his advice. The saint asked him if he had untied the donkey and the washer man said no and asked why he would need to since it was just an imaginary rope. The saint replied that donkeys are a lot like people in that they get caught up in an imaginary life and are under the illusion of bondage. So the washer man followed his directions and pretended to untie the donkey. The donkey then moved on along his way to the village with the others.

We create bondages for ourselves with our imagination.
The truth is that we are free. Untie yourself from the rope and free yourself from your mind.